Before Too Long
by NazgulQueen13
Summary: New Title! A modern Persuasion. Eight years ago, Anne Elliot was persuaded to give up Freddie Wentworth in order to fulfill her own dreams. But now he’s back in her life, and her whole world is turned upside down. Is it worth giving love a second chance?
1. Introduction

I Saw Her Standing There

_Introduction_

Of all the rooms in his large, opulent mansion, his old recording studio was Walter Elliot's favourite. It was there he would spend hours shining all his awards, staring at his platinum records, and watching old concert footage of his band, The Depot. Yes, many moons ago, Walter Elliot had been a world-famous rock star, as notorious for his hard-partying ways as his provocative music. This room reminded him of his glory days, which had long since passed. Now, Walter Elliot was a man in his late fifties, a widower and father of three daughters. He had married four times in his life, but when his last wife, Elizabeth, the only woman he had ever truly loved, died of cancer thirteen years ago, he decided it was better if he never married again. His three daughters were all from Elizabeth; he had never wanted children with his first three wives, but Elizabeth had been different. Her beauty nearly surpassed his own, and Walter had found himself wondering if they could make children as beautiful as themselves. Indeed, amongst the many statues and records in his studio, there were also many mirrors, for Walter liked to look upon and congratulate himself for maintaining his youthful good looks, even now as he approached 60.

His daughters were all grown, although the eldest, Elizabeth, still lived with him. She took care of his estate and his music catalogue, and as their manners and tempers were very much alike, they got along well. She had nearly married several times, but even now at 32, she was still looking for someone who could match her good looks, much like her mother's had matched her father's. This was not a simple task, as Elizabeth was still a radiant, youthful beauty, with thick blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.

His other two children were much less worth Walter's time. Anne, the middle child, was 28 and lived not far away in London. She had graduated from Cambridge, had gone on to get her Ph.D., and now worked at Queen Mary University as a professor of history. She had traveled the world over and was now content to stay in London, at least for the time being. Her sweetness, eloquence, and good sense of humour made her a favourite among the students, if not among her family. Her older sister and father did not hold her opinion in very high esteem, but she still made it her business to visit once a week, if only to nod meekly and agree with whatever harebrained scheme her father and sister were hatching next. She may be a strong and firm teacher, but when it came to her family, Anne still had not learned how to hold firm to her opinions.

Mary, the youngest at 25, was married and lived in the mansion next to Walter's. She had married the son of a family friend, Charles Musgrove, three years ago, and now had two children of her own, ages 2 ½ and 1. Mary had finished college, but was now a stay-at-home mother, much to her chagrin. She called Anne often to complain of her boredom and frequent illness. Anne listened with her usual even-temperedness, but would try to end the conversation as quickly as she could. Even though Elizabeth lived right next door, Anne knew that she rarely went over to visit her sister and nephews. Elizabeth was too vain to be bothered with such auntly duties, and even Walter was too selfish to be much of a grandfather. Therefore it fell on Anne to help Mary whenever she could, and Mary depended on her quite a lot. Mary had not quite been ready to give up the exciting life of a young twenty-something, and dragged Charles out to the city as much as she could. So with Elizabeth's easy lifestyle and effortless beauty and Mary's determination to remain youthful as long as possible, Anne was the only one who always appeared like she had actually put in an honest day's work, which put her as the least favourite in her father's eyes.

With her hectic life, Anne had time for really only one friend: Susan Russell. Susan was an older woman who had been the wife of Walter's late best friend and bandmate, George Russell. Susan had befriended Anne's mother, and when Mrs. Elliot died, had taken it upon herself to become Anne's friend and mentor. All the Elliots trusted Susan Russell; indeed, they only had one other truly trusted friend: Walter's old band manager, Mr. Sheperd. But Mrs. Russell had always taken a particular interest in Anne that no else had, and Anne was always very grateful to Susan for being a friend.

One day, as Anne was working late in her office at the university, a knock came at her door.

"Come in," Anne called, setting aside some papers waiting to be graded.

It was Susan. She swept into the dim office and immediately frowned.

"Anne Elliot, put on some lights!" she exclaimed, flipping a switch. The office was suddenly flooded with bright, fluorescent light and Anne squinted, momentarily blinded.

"Hello, Susan," she said with a smile once she had recovered. Susan returned the smile and sat in the leather armchair in the corner of Anne's small office. She was a tall, dignified woman, with long, espresso-colored hair that was just lightly streaked with gray. She wore small, wire-rimmed glasses that hid her brown eyes; her thin lips were surrounded by fine lines and small wrinkles. In her green turtleneck and tweed pants, it was hard to believe that the woman sitting in front of Anne had once been a free-spirited rock groupie, but time had certainly changed Susan Russell.

"What can I do you for?" Anne said.

"I thought I should come here to speak with you, where none of your family will interrupt," Susan said.

Anne frowned and leaned forward. "Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Susan sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "Well, Anne… I'm worried about your father and Elizabeth. I know they think that their money is never-ending, but it's not. If they don't seriously cut back on their expenses, they're going to be in some serious debt."

Anne sighed as well and leaned back in her seat. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length, toffee brown hair and shook her head.

"I knew they were going to get in trouble sooner or later… what can they do?" Anne asked.

"First off, stop taking so many vacations and buying so much stuff – clothes, electronics… they're spending way too much. But honestly, Anne, I don't think even that will do it," Susan said.

"What more could they do?"

"I think they have to sell the house and move into a smaller one."

Anne laughed out loud. "Susan, that's asking for a miracle. My father's been in that house for decades. He'll never sell it."

"Well, we need to talk to them. Together, with Sheperd. They must see reason."

Anne nodded. "Alright. But I'll let you do the talking – they would never listen to me."

Susan raised her eyebrows in agreement. She stood and threw her purse over her shoulder.

"Would you like to get some dinner?" she asked Anne.

Anne looked around her piles of papers, but then sighed and nodded. "I'd love to."

As she stood and followed Susan out the door, Anne flipped off the lights with a heavy heart. Her proud, frivolous family was in for a rude awakening – and it was not going to be pretty.

* * *

A/N: Yes, 'tis I, NazgulQueen, back again. I just re-read Persuasion, and I just couldn't help myself – I had to do an adaptation. My Pride and Prejudice sequel is in the works, but I'll be working mostly on this for now.

Please note that this is an _adaptation_ – meaning that I will have to take certain liberties with the plot so as to make it believable as a story set in the 21st century. But of course, being me, the happy ending will stay intact. And also, the chapters will be much longer from now on. This is just the introduction.

So _please_ review and tell me what you think! I'd love to get a lot of reviews so I feel buoyant and confident to write the next chapter!

Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,

Emma the NazgulQueen


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I've given it quite serious thought, Anne. If we can persuade your father to all of this, he'll be in the clear in just a few years," Mrs. Russell was saying to Anne over dinner. She slid a piece of paper over to Anne, who scanned it quickly. Let go of the maids, sell the cars, etc, etc… Anne sighed and set the paper down.

"No, you were right, Susan. They need to move out of the house… at least for a while," Anne said. She was secretly very pleased that Susan had even thought to ask for her opinion – something her father and sister would never do – and was determined to make it known, for once. "Kellynch is too big for them. It was fine when we all lived there, but now that it's just the two of them…"

"I'm glad you think so. Shepherd thinks we'll be able to persuade them to move to a small beach home. It's perfectly respectable… many men at his age and in his situation do so. Don't you think so?"

"Absolutely. I know it won't take much to convince Elizabeth to go live at the beach," Anne said with a smile.

Susan nodded in agreement. "They could just live in a small oceanfront home with no servants. Perfectly agreeable."

* * *

"Absolutely not! I'll never allow it. Leave Kellynch? It's unthinkable."

Mr. Elliot stood up and turned his back to Mr. Shepherd, Susan, and Anne. Elizabeth scoffed in agreement and tossed her blonde hair.

"Daddy and I would never even think of moving to a smaller house. How dare you even suggest it!" she said, standing up in a huff as well.

Anne rolled her eyes. "So much for being agreeable," she muttered to Susan.

Susan shook her head and crossed the room to Walter and Elizabeth. "It's perfectly respectable," she said to them in a low, soothing voice. "And it would only be for a few years."

Walter puffed out his chest and pointed to a framed picture on the wall. "Do you know what that is?" he demanded. "That is Her Majesty the Queen knighting me for outstanding contribution to the arts community of the United Kingdom. _Sir_ Walter Elliot will not be humiliated by being kicked out of his own home!"

Susan turned to Mr. Shepherd with pleading eyes. Shepherd, an older man with a pot belly and gray mustache, sighed and stood up as well.

"Walt, this will not be a humiliation. You can rent out this house for a few years and go live on the beach – we'll tell the press you just need the relaxtion."

"Live on the beach?" Elizabeth repeated, her eyes lighting up.

"Why not London?" Walter insisted, placing his hands on his hips.

"London's even more expensive than living here, Dad," Anne said, speaking up for the first time. "It wouldn't help at all."

"_You_ live there," her father said contemptuously. "How expensive could it be?"

"I want to live on the beach, Daddy!" Elizabeth interjected, tugging on her father's sleeve.

"Think about it Walt," Shepherd continued. "You'll come back looking tan and rested, your money will be replenished…" he trailed off as they all watched Walter's face slowly change from adamant to warily consenting.

"Fine," he finally declared. "But this house must be let to someone that I approve of."

"Of course, Walter," Susan said, with a relieved smile.

"I'll ask around to see if anyone's looking for a house," Shepherd said.

"Don't you dare put it in the classifieds!" Walter cried.

"Of course not, Walt, of course not," Shepherd said quickly.

"I'm going to go shopping for a new bathing suit!" Elizabeth said, clapping her hands.

Anne shook her head, but let out a sigh of relief. As her father and sister bustled off to go shopping, she grinned at Susan and poured two cups of tea.

"Well, that went better than I expected, I must admit," Anne said to Susan as they sank onto the couch.

"Indeed," Susan said, raising her cup; Anne clinked it and they sipped. Suddenly, Susan looked around suspiciously, then leaned in to Anne and spoke in a low voice. "Hopefully this will also get your sister away from that awful Jane, as well."

"Jane Clay? Shepherd's daughter?" Anne said, her brow furrowed.

"Yes. She's a terrible influence on your sister," Susan whispered.

Anne drank her tea, still frowning. She had never really understood why Susan seemed to feel so protective of Elizabeth – never as protective as she was of Anne, but kindly and concerned nonetheless. Elizabeth was not one to take advice, and Anne wondered why Susan didn't just give up. Anne had, a long time ago. Besides, from what Anne knew of her, it was little wonder that Jane had befriended Elizabeth. Anne had met Jane a few times, and saw her as a clever, if somewhat careless, woman. Jane was the same age as Elizabeth, but had married some starving artist and had two kids, only to be abandoned by him about a year later. Anne knew Susan didn't like her because she was uneducated and not very well off; Anne, in the few times she had been in Jane's company, had seen her as excellent at the art of empty flattery – something both her father and sister loved.

"Well, maybe Liz will meet new people at the beach," Anne said.

"I hope so," Susan said, nodding.

Anne smiled at her friend. Susan Russell was a good woman, but always a bit shallow. Anne put it down to all those drugs in the '70s.

"Well, I'm off to Mary's," Anne said, standing. "Call me if Shepherd finds anyone."

"Will do, darling."

It was just a short walk to Mary and Charles' house, so Anne left her small car in her father's driveway and strolled over. Mary and her family lived in a fifteen-room brick mansion that was far too big for them. The yard was nice and large for the boys to run around in, but Mary had filled the inside with priceless art and glassware that was just waiting to be broken.

Anne didn't knock at the front door, but just walked in. She was instantly met by their Sheltie, Duncan. The huge black and white dog bounded up to Anne, almost knocking her over. She laughed and knelt down to greet him properly, rubbing her hands through his silky fur.

"Oh, Anne, it's you. I thought I heard the door."

Anne looked up to see Mary coming into the foyer through the living room doors. She was a sullen-looking young woman of medium height, petite shoulders, and tiny waist; people were always shocked to hear that she had had two children in the past five years, but Mary took her yogilates very seriously. She and Anne shared the same toffee-colored hair, but instead of Anne's brown eyes, she had the same clear blue ones as Elizabeth.

"The boys are upstairs. Go help them with their homework… I'm running out to the mall, but I'll probably be back before dinner," Mary said, slipping on her coat and purse. Anne subtly rolled her eyes.

"Sure, Mary," she said.

"Charles is still at the office… who knows when he'll be home," Mary said as she walked out the door. "See you later." The door slammed.

"You're welcome," Anne muttered under her breath, but then clapped her hands and followed the dog up the stairs to her nephews.

* * *

The following Sunday, the entire family plus Susan and Mr. Shepherd were sitting around the dining room table eating brunch. The mood was decidedly hushed and tense, but finally Mr. Shepherd cleared his throat.

"Walt, I may have found someone to rent the house," he said tentatively.

Anne's father made a soft disgruntled sound in his throat. "Who?"

"Well, I think it's best if we go with someone also in the entertainment business but not really in the public eye."

"Who?" Mr. Elliot repeated.

"John Croft."

"Who?" everyone said in unison.

"He's a television producer. Very well-respected… he's made some very good shows in the States," Shepherd explained. "He's an excellent man to rent the house, Walt. He's married but has no children. He lives very quietly, isn't looking to renovate or anything. The wife doesn't work, so she can look after the house and grounds. Also, she happens to know the area."

"How could she?" Elizabeth asked.

"Her brother used to live right in this neighborhood… he used to run the hotel." Shepherd paused. "Oh confound it, I've forgotten the name now. What was it?" He looked around the table for help.

Everyone spluttered, except for Anne. Her hand had frozen midway reaching for her drink.

"All I can remember is old Trent," Walt said.

"No, no… oh, I can picture him exactly…" Shepherd trailed off.

Everyone looked blankly at each other.

"Wentworth," Anne finally said. "His name was Wentworth."

"Wentworth! That's exactly it!" Shepherd said, laughing.

Walter pursed his lips, and Shepherd quickly saw he was getting nowhere by mentioning Wentworth. He quickly continued expounding Croft's numerous attributes, while the table listened intently.

But not everyone was listening. Anne's cheeks burned as she downed her orange juice; she could feel Susan's piercing eyes on her, but refused to turn her head. Her heart was positively racing.

"Fine. Fine. I will meet this Croft," Walter finally said loudly.

Relieved smiles and laughs were shared throughout the table, and excited conversation soon echoed about the room. No one noticed, therefore, when Anne quietly excused herself and hurried outside. The breeze cooled her flushed face, but she soon couldn't help but smile. _Just a few weeks_, she thought to herself, _and he might be here_.

* * *

A/N: Finally! I really do apologize for the excruciatingly long wait… I kept hoping to write the second chapter but this semester at school has been far more work than I anticipated. It took me quite off guard.

Anyway, there it is, the second chapter! I know it's a little short, but please review and tell me how I'm doing… please! Next chapter we see what happened with Anne and Frederick eight years ago… hopefully it will be done in a more reasonable amount of time.

Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,

Emma the NazgulQueen


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